Drawing Stigmata? Now That's a Topic I Can Stay Up For! / Massage Is a Matter of Life and Death for Humanity! ...

The assessment began!

Two Valkyries of the same rank would face off. The energy of their Valkyrie Armor would serve as the metric; once it dropped below a certain level, they would be judged defeated. All weapons used would be standard two-star equipment!

This time, Yuqi had taken the initiative to challenge Kiana. She had to pay Kiana back for the humiliation from a few days ago!

Kiana immediately laughed. "I was just looking for someone to vent on too, especially over you threatening Ling Feng..."

Thus, the two hit it off, and their match became the opening battle of this assessment!

Drawing Stigmata? Now That's a Topic That'll Keep Me Awake!

Inside the arena, the two changed into their Valkyrie Armor and fully armed themselves, waiting for the battle to begin!

"Beep!"

With the holographic prompt, the battle officially began!

"Stigmata, activate!"

Yuqi immediately chose to activate her Stigmata's power. She had no intention of holding back, because what she wanted was to defeat Kiana as quickly as possible and let Kiana understand that, with a Stigmata, she could defeat her too!

As Yuqi activated her Stigmata, a lightbulb-shaped Stigmata pattern appeared on her back. Everyone was rather unfamiliar with it...

"Hmph, I know how you got your four-star Stigmata. But it's useless!"

Kiana charged straight at her with her twin pistols. It couldn't be helped; standard two-star pistols had far too little firepower and too few bullets. Even if every shot landed on Yuqi, they could not break through the Valkyrie Armor's defenses. In the end, close combat was still necessary!

"Slash!"

Wielding her greatsword, Yuqi slashed out a mass of blue lightning...

"Hmm?"

Kiana narrowly dodged the deadly bolt, but she was surprised. Since when had Yuqi learned ranged attacks? And lightning-based ones at that...

"Stigmata?"

Then Kiana saw Yuqi's Stigmata charging the greatsword, and she instantly understood. This was definitely the work of that four-star Stigmata. Damn it, why had Ling Feng Imprint such a powerful Stigmata on her?!

Yuqi's Stigmata was the upper piece of the Edison Stigmata. Besides the basic amplification of Stigmata energy, it could convert energy into lightning attacks. It could do so once every six seconds, allowing the energy to be used as a ranged attack. It was perfect for a Valkyrie like Yuqi, who was powerful in close combat but lacked any ranged means of attack!

"Yaaah..."

The two kept exchanging blows until they finally clashed head-on. Kiana kicked Yuqi's greatsword, and then...

"Ah... damn it..."

Kiana immediately received a free electric shock and hurriedly retreated...

Yuqi had no intention of stopping. She swung her greatsword and slashed at Kiana, who twisted aside to dodge. The blade struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust...

Just as Yuqi prepared to continue attacking, she discovered that Kiana had vanished. Then...

"Don't move!"

At some point, Kiana had appeared behind her, her twin pistols pressed against the back of Yuqi's head...

"That's enough!"

Himeko quickly called an end to the match. Putting away the tablet she had been using to record data, she said, "The assessment is over. Kiana and Yuqi have both passed, with excellent grades!"

"Hmph hmph!"

Kiana gave a smug snort, put away her pistols, and happily ran over to Mei and the others. Though the result had not been announced, anyone could see that she had won. Even if the rules stated that victory came only when the Valkyrie Armor's energy fell below a certain threshold, in that situation, if she had fired a shot at Yuqi's head...

Of course, Yuqi would not have died if Kiana had fired. The gun contained special competition bullets that would only consume a Valkyrie's energy rather than threaten her life. Still, it would hurt terribly...

In contrast to Kiana's excitement, Yuqi stood where she was for a long time. Had she... lost?

And... she had not even seen Kiana's final move. Had fighting Honkai Beasts made Kiana this strong already?

It looked like she had to work even harder!

The assessment continued, while Rita pondered the matter. The Stigmata on Kiana and Yuqi were clearly both four-star Stigmata, and... perfect ones at that. According to her investigation, there did not seem to be anyone at St. Freya Academy capable of perfectly Imprinting four-star Stigmata. What exactly was going on?

Moreover, Kiana's growth was even faster than the Bishop had predicted. It seemed she needed to report this... Hmm?

Was that Lightning Mei? Mei, the Third Herrscher? Was the Stigmata on her back also four-star? It looked as though it had come from the same person as Kiana's Stigmata. Who had Imprinted them?

Rita silently sent the information back to Schicksal headquarters. Then Lord Griseo sent new instructions...

After the afternoon assessment ended, everyone had passed. However, Rita did not seem to intend to leave. She said that, under the Bishop's orders, she would be staying here for some time. Theresa had no choice but to let her remain...

"Nom nom, Mei, I want more!"

In the apartment, Kiana was enjoying the lavish dinner Mei had prepared. Since Ling Feng had also contributed his funds, and since they had become a B-rank team, Team 233's budget was much more generous than before. They had also gone through an intense battle today, so a richer dinner was only natural!

"Yes, yes, I'll get it for you..."

Mei took Kiana's bowl and filled it with another heaping bowl of rice...

Ling Feng: "..." I finally understand why Team 233's budget is always running short...

After dinner, Mei washed the dishes and sat on the sofa watching television. Since there was no homework today, Kiana sat on the sofa with Bronya and played games. Having no homework felt amazing!

Ling Feng, meanwhile, yawned in boredom. He felt a little sleepy. His tastes really differed from Mei's; he simply could not get into the dramas she liked...

"Ling Feng..."

Suddenly, Mei looked at Ling Feng and said, "In today's battle, I felt that the Stigmata's power was much weaker than before. Its energy may be about to run out, so... could you Imprint it again for me?"

"Imprint Stigmata? Sure!"

Though he had been a little sleepy, now that they were talking about this, he was wide awake. Ling Feng immediately perked up and said confidently, "Imprinting Stigmata is no problem. Mei, don't worry. As long as you need it, forget every day—even anytime you want, I can Imprint them!"

Seeing Ling Feng's eyes light up, Mei was momentarily speechless... Should she... wait a while before getting another Stigmata Imprinted? But... she could not bring herself to say it!

"Mm!"

With no other choice, Mei nodded. She genuinely did want another Imprint, and she said seriously, "Ling Feng, after yesterday's battle, Kiana and I both grew much stronger. So I should be able to withstand more than one four-star Stigmata. I think I could handle two or three, and... if possible, I want to try a five-star one!"

"Five-star?"

Ling Feng immediately hesitated. Honestly, he personally felt that five-star Stigmata were far too early for Mei, because five-star Stigmata were fundamentally different from lower-ranked ones!

Four-star Stigmata placed few restrictions on their users. As long as the user could withstand them, they could be used immediately after being Imprinted. But five-star Stigmata were different. Besides being able to withstand the Stigmata's power, a Valkyrie also needed compatibility with the Stigmata!

For example, if a fire-type Valkyrie Imprinted a fire-type Stigmata, her power would increase. But if she Imprinted a water-type Stigmata, before she could even fight Honkai Beasts, her own energy would start fighting with the Stigmata's energy!

Not only would that fail to increase her combat power, it might even weaken it, or cause damage to the Valkyrie's body. That would be more trouble than it was worth. If compatibility was insufficient, the consequences could be even worse than that—energy collapse, loss of energy control, or even outright death...

So, even Ling Feng did not dare rashly Imprint five-star Stigmata on others. It was even less possible for Mei. He did not want to hold Mei's corpse and cry, "Wife, you died so tragically..."

Massage Is a Matter of Humanity's Survival!

They returned to Mei's room. The last time Ling Feng had come here was probably a week ago... It could not be helped; he simply could not find a reason to enter Mei's room. Forget waking her up—Mei was always the first one awake every morning...

This time, Kiana and Bronya were busy playing games, so they did not come along. After all, Imprinting Stigmata was nothing unusual anymore...

"Ahem, Mei, get ready first. Call me when you're done!"

Although he had entered the room, Ling Feng conscientiously turned his back to her, so neither of them would feel awkward!

"Mm!"

Mei did not object. She slowly took off her top, then obediently lay down and unfastened her bra, exposing her back to Ling Feng once again...

"I'm ready, Ling Feng..."

Mei spoke softly, feeling a little nervous. It was not because she was exposing her skin in front of Ling Feng, but because she worried that he might do something else...

Last time, they had not been familiar with each other, and Kiana and Bronya had been there, so nothing else had happened. But this time...

Mei knew that Ling Feng had obtained the "imperial sword" her father had given him, and now the two of them were alone. So, if Ling Feng suddenly pounced on her, should she resist?

Maybe she should resist a little, just to test him?

"Mm..."

Suddenly, Mei felt something touch her. That was right, there was no mistaking it—it was Ling Feng's hands. Not merely his fingers; both hands had been placed on her back...

"Ling Feng, what... what are you doing? Ah..."

Mei immediately turned to look at Ling Feng. She had intended to resist, but the instant comfort on her back shattered her will to fight. It feels so good...

"Massage!"

Ling Feng wore a perfectly righteous expression as he calmly smiled. "Well, you haven't been sleeping very well these past two nights, have you?"

"Mm... my body... feels stiff... Ah... and... mm, I'm sore all over..."

Mei did not deny it and honestly admitted that she had not been sleeping well lately. But as she spoke, she could not help letting out soft moans, because it felt too good. It was so comfortable that she did not know how to describe it...

"That confirms it. This is clearly the result of residual Honkai energy!"

While massaging Mei, Ling Feng explained, "Honkai energy is not a power that belongs to humans. Even though Valkyries can use it, it still slowly erodes their bodies. That is why Valkyries always retire so early. And after using Honkai energy, it does not immediately dissipate; it remains in the body, especially in the back!"

"Then the Honkai energy keeps stimulating the body, leaving the back muscles constantly excited. In other words, they are always in use and never get to rest. Naturally, that leads to aching backs and sore muscles. Your era... I mean, this academy does not have an Energy Spring, so we can only inject energy through massage to neutralize and Dispelling the residual Honkai energy!"

Ling Feng nearly let something slip again...

"Oh..."

Mei nodded as though she understood, though she was not sure whether Ling Feng was telling the truth. But the comfort radiating from her back was definitely real. This comfort, as though it came from the depths of her soul, made Mei feel as if she had wasted her entire life before this!

"Then... Ling Feng... mm... why didn't you massage me these past few days? Why... why did you make me suffer for two days?" Mei suddenly sounded a little aggrieved!

"Uh... well, wasn't I worried you wouldn't want me to? Besides... there were already some misunderstandings when I Imprinted your Stigmata last time!" Ling Feng explained awkwardly, but he was lying!

The reason he had not massaged Mei in the previous days was that there had not been any intense battles recently. When he Imprinted her Stigmata last time, he had conveniently neutralized the residual Honkai energy, so there had been no need!

As for after Saturday's battle... Ling Feng had simply forgotten. In his era, Valkyries would soak in an Energy Spring after a battle. It was essentially an energy hot spring in a plasma state, which could not only clean the body but directly neutralize residual energy. There was no need to specifically find someone to massage them!

So Ling Feng had not thought of it. After all, this era did not have Energy Springs. Besides, if he had remembered, there was no way he would not have said something. This was a chance to have close physical contact with Mei—how could he miss it?

And this was not taking advantage of her. He was treating a Valkyrie. It was an important mission concerning whether humanity could survive. Like the story of the horseshoe nail, perhaps humanity would be wiped out because it lacked a Valkyrie like Mei. Therefore, massage was necessary. For humanity's sake, massage was a must!

"What is an Energy Spring? I've never heard of one!"

Mei stopped questioning Ling Feng about the massage and became interested in the Energy Spring instead!

"I heard that an Energy Spring is a hot spring that converts energy into a plasma state that Valkyries can come into contact with. But it is still only in the experimental stage, so there is no point bringing it up. I've only heard about it myself!"

Ling Feng had no idea whether this era possessed Energy Springs, so he could only bluff and claim that he had merely heard of them. Besides, he should not expect to recreate an Energy Spring using knowledge from the Previous civilization. That knowledge was not within Ling Feng's field of expertise...

"By the way, Mei, regarding your new Stigmata, I think you'd better not use five-star ones yet!"

While massaging her, Ling Feng began discussing the Stigmata with Mei. "You should know that five-star Stigmata require sufficient compatibility with their users. Generally speaking, you need to be at least A-rank before you can Imprint one. For you right now, that would be difficult!"

"Mm, mm... I'll listen to you!"

Mei was very obedient about this matter. She knew that Ling Feng understood Stigmata better than she did, and she was willing to listen to his advice. Besides, it felt too good, and she did not want to talk much...

Once the massage ended, Mei still seemed reluctant for it to stop. The soreness and fatigue in her body seemed to have completely vanished, leaving her feeling incomparably refreshed. It was a rebirth-like sense of comfort!

Then Ling Feng removed the Attila Stigmata, whose patterns had already become somewhat blurry, and Imprinted new Stigmata on Mei!

This time, Mei still felt so good that she wanted to cry out, but after Ling Feng's professional massage, her endurance had become much stronger. No matter how comfortable it felt, she would absolutely remain silent—at most, she might let out a couple of soft hums...

Thus, with Mei's cooperation, Ling Feng completed three four-star Stigmata in under fifteen minutes: Elizabeth upper and middle, Attila lower. The special effect amplification of this set could reach seventy percent. Combined with the Stigmata's own basic energy amplification, it could increase Mei's combat power to at least three times its original level, perhaps even more!

Charging into Someone with Your Chest Is a Foul!

After Ling Feng finished Imprinting Mei's Stigmata, Kiana came into the room at Mei's recommendation...

Half-naked, she lay face-down on the bed. At first, Kiana had been a little embarrassed, but now she felt as though she had gotten used to it...

"Phew... it really feels nice... Mm, don't... don't use so much force, ah..." Soon, under Ling Feng's professional massage techniques, Kiana completely surrendered as well. The nerves tense throughout her body gradually relaxed...

"Then you two take your time Imprinting. I'm going to take a shower first!"

Mei nodded to the two of them, picked up a change of clothes, and headed to the bathroom to shower. It could not be helped; she had sweated all over again. It had clearly only been a massage, yet it had been more exhausting than a battle... Though it had also felt wonderful...

Besides, Ling Feng was helping Kiana Imprint her Stigmata right now, so this was the safest time for Mei to shower. At least Kiana would not sneak over...

"Kiana, what Stigmata do you want?"